The two clubs fielding Americans in this season's Champions League will face tough tests to qualify from the group stage following today's draw in Monaco.

Freddy Adu's Benfica face holders AC Milan, Scottish champions Celtic and Ukrainian league leaders Shakhtar Donetsk, while DaMarcus Beasley's Rangers must overcome Spanish giants Barcelona, French champions Lyon and German champions Stuttgart.

Milan will be looking for maximum points from their clashes with Benfica in Group D as they strive to retain the crown they won in Athens in May.

The Rossoneri need little introduction, their galaxy of superstars including Dida, Gennaro Gattuso, Kaká and Ronaldo. Eternally young skipper Paolo Maldini is embarking on the last of his 23 seasons, and at the age of 39 will be keen to repeat the triumph of last season.

Celtic edged past Spartak Moscow on penalties in the third qualifying round to make Glasgow one of five cities with two clubs still in the Champions League (Lisbon, London, Milan and Rome are the others). Rangers' city rivals, who became the first British team to win the European Cup in 1967, boast Japanese talisman Shunsuke Nakamura, Dutch striker Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and Poland's #1 goalkeeper Artur Boruc.

Shakhtar have yet to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League in the seven years they have competed for it, and will be favorites to step down into the UEFA Cup again this season.

The Miners beat Armenia's Pyunik and Austria's Red Bull Salzburg to qualify for this round, and have six Brazilians among a multi-national roster, which also includes Italy fringe international Cristiano Lucarelli. Mexican striker Nery Castillo, who faced the US in the 2007 Gold Cup final and scored in his country's defeat of Brazil in the subsequent Copa America, is another danger man for the Ukrainians.

Beasley's Rangers are topping the table in Scotland, but their impressive start to the domestic season will be put into perspective when they come up against the three heavyweight opponents of Group E.

Any team with an attack including Thierry Henry, Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho is sure to be a challenge, but FC Barcelona are not the only mountain Rangers must scale to make it to the final 16.

Olympique Lyonnais have won six consecutive French championships, and in that period, have reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League three times.

Lyon's squad includes Brazil international striker Fred, Italy's World Cup defender Fabio Grosso - winner of the infamous penalty which knocked out Australia - and Sweden's Kim Källström, whose stunning goal downed the US in Göteborg earlier this month.

Completing the array of talent Rangers are up against is VfB Stuttgart. The Schwabians captured their first Bundesliga crown since 1992 last season, finishing two points ahead of Schalke on the last day of the domestic calendar.

Stuttgart's relatively unheralded line-up is nicknamed "the Wild Boys" and their best known player internationally is Mexico veteran Pavel Pardo, who faced Beasley in this summer's Gold Cup final. Also look out, though, for 22-year old German Mario Gomez, winner of the nation's 2007 Footballer of the Year award.

The top two clubs from each group qualify for the first knockout round of 16; the third place team enters the UEFA Cup, while the fourth best team is eliminated from Europe.

Milan v Benfica             Sep 18th
Rangers v Stuttgart     Sep 19th

Lyon v Rangers             Oct 2nd
Benfica v Shakhtar       Oct 3rd

Rangers v Barcelona    Oct 23rd
Benfica v Celtic             Oct 24th

Celtic v Benfica             Nov 6th
Barcelona v Rangers    Nov 7th

Stuttgart v Rangers      Nov 27th
Benfica v Milan              Nov 28th

Shakhtar v Benfica       Dec 4th 
Rangers v Lyon             Dec 12th
 
Full Champions League Draw

Group A
Beşiktaş
Liverpool
Olympique Marseille
Porto

Group B
Chelsea
Rosenborg
Schalke 04
Valencia

Group C
Lazio
Olympiakos
Real Madrid
Werder Bremen

Group D
AC Milan
Benfica
Celtic
Shakhtar Donetsk

Group E
Barcelona
Lyon
Rangers
VfB Stuttgart

Group F
AS Roma
Dynamo Kiev
Manchester United
Sporting Lisbon

Group G
Dynamo Moscow
Fenerbahçe
Inter Milan
PSV Eindhoven

Group H
AEK Athens/Sevilla
Arsenal
Slavia Prague